Piazza Di Spagna

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In spirit, and in fact, this area of Rome is grandiose. The overblown Vittoriano monument, the labyrinthine treasure-chest palaces of Rome's surviving aristocracy, even the diamond-draped denizens of Via Condotti all embody the exuberant ego of a city at the center of its own universe. Here's where you'll see ladies in furs, and you can walk through a thousand snapshots as you climb the famous Spanish Steps.

At the top of everyone's sightseeing list is the great Baroque confection of the Trevi Fountain. Since pickpockets favor this tourist-heavy spot, be particularly aware as you withdraw that wallet to keep your throw from being very expensive indeed. Once you've chucked in your change, follow the crowds and get ready to take some serious time to explore this neighborhood.

If Rome has a Main Street, it's Via del Corso, which is often jammed with swarms of Roman teenagers, in from the city's outlying districts for a ritual stroll that resembles a strutting migration of lemmings in blue jeans. Along this thoroughfare it's easy to forget that the gray and stolid atmosphere comes partially from the enormous palaces lining both sides of the street. Many were built over the past 300 years by princely families who wanted to secure front-row seats for the frantic antics of Carnevale. But once you step past entrances here, you'll discover some of Rome's grandest 17th- and 18th-century treasures, including Baroque ballrooms, glittering churches, and great Old Master paintings.

Via del Corso begins at noisy, chaotic Piazza Venezia, the imperial-size hub of all this ostentation, presided over by the Vittoriano, also known as the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Nation), or, less piously, as the "typewriter," the "wedding cake," or the Eighth Hill of Rome. Sitting grandly off the avenue are the Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj and the Palazzo Colonna—two of the city's great art collections housed in magnificent family palaces.

Extending just east of Via del Corso, but miles away in style, Piazza di Spagna and its surrounding streets are where the elite meet. Piazza di Spagna's main draw, however, remains the 18th-century Spanish Steps, which connect ritzy shops at the bottom of the hill with ritzy hotels (and one lovely church) at the top. The reward for climbing the scalinata is a dizzying view of central Rome. Because the steps face west, the views are especially good around sunset.